Wolf RPG

back from their reconnaissance had casmir and his son's plucky companion returned, bringing with them news of the south, and now that his strong boys been reunited, lasher and dante left the plateau in willow's capable charge. casmir and constantine were given the task of guarding the borders; eilidh with protecting the inner lands. malachi lingered close, as did pearl and behati -- the place would be well-tended in the absence of the two males.

and travel they did, lasher cursing himself for slowing dante with the intermittent limp caused by the elk-kick injury. the beta pushed himself to the very limits of his ability, however -- casmir revealed that he had cached meat in some areas upon the return trek -- and the pair settled in the honeyed meadow near the place called sentinel for the evening.

If their progress was slowed any by Lasher's recent injuries, Dante neither took particular notice nor minded. This was not an errand of great urgency and nothing was pushing them towards immediate course of action, so he took to the trip with a somewhat leisurely air. It was not a decision he wished to be rushed in and he felt the other would agree if they chose to let voice such sentiments.

Now they had taken a pause, their route laid out by the explorations of Casmir and Behati, who had brought news of some pleasing locations. The meadow they were currently near was beautiful to behold indeed, as were the trees that neighbored. He eyed them with particular note, knowing his own preference when it came to a territory. However, he found he could not recall if he knew his darker companion's mind when it came to that matter. What did Lasher picture when the word 'home' was laid out?

They were close enough to the sea for the taste of salt to sharpen the air, but it was less overwhelming when surrounded by grasses and trees. Dante breathed deeply, then lay down near Lasher, content for the moment to rest before thinking of food for the evening. "I wonder if we are near any other claims?" he posed, curious. They had passed one that was known to him, the mountain known as Silvertip, but the south and west were unknown to him.

he laid alongside dante, thinking of where casmir had told him the prey was stored. such a thoughtful creature his son was becoming. tasting the brine upon his lips, the druid was immediately reminded of the amazonian priestess whom he had loved, but was loathe to share this with his silver companion. "i hope we are not, that this land is untouched. but perhaps the sea draws odd worshippers," he murmured, alluding to the strange cult that junior had joined upon departing the plateau.

"what do you look for in a home, dante?" the druid murmured, unwittingly giving voice to the alpha's unspoken thoughts as he stretched his forelegs before him and gazed in the direction of the sea.

Odd worshippers. He thought silently on that a moment, wondering. He had met those from Junior's coastal clan only once and hardly remembered it. Thus, they did not come to mind. Instead his mind traveled to the one who had marked his face.... Hadn't Charon come from a coastal pack? Displeased at the thought, he knew he would need to explore south, if only to ensure that any place they chose was free of interference.

"I have a great admiration for forests. The open sky is nice, but there is something about the cover of trees that makes a place feel like home." He said quietly, not surprised that Lasher's train of thought aligned so well with his. The man's counselor trade was well founded and a mastery, if not gained, couldn't be far off. "I have spoken with a few others, and they seem to agree." The only definitives he'd recieved had been no mountains, a sentiment he echoed. "And for you? What do you seek when choosing a place?"

mastery was something that lasher sought, if only in part. he nodded, eyelids falling to half-mast as he envisioned the images of which dante spoke. the last mountain he had been upon had broken his heart, and he would not live in a dipped land that would remind him evermore of the caldera. "i once lived in such a place, one of emerald green where the trees all but kissed the heavens. that is where my heart lies."

he stretched and flicked his tail toward the heavens with a grunt of pleasure. "casmir informed me that there was a filled cache somewhere nearby. he is a thoughtful child," taltos mused, though in truth his son was far from a boy any longer. casting a glance toward dante, the druid wordlessly invited the silver alpha to accompany him upon the search.

Dante smiled, silently pleased that all seemed to agree on what it was they wished to find. Like minds had gathered in the plateau and it would make a final decision, if and when it was reached, that much easier.

"He is. A fine one, and only growing finer with time." All of their children were coming into their own and beginning to shine, doing the plateau credit with their contributions. He hadn't informed them, but he was heavily impressed, and knew all would be well kept while he was away.

"He seems keen on exploration. And Constantine approached me recently for a warrior's lesson. But I have heard little of Eilidh's interests... Where do they lie?" He figured the father would know. If it was something he could help with, he could perhaps approach her on the subject.

he was pleased that dante felt his children were assets to the plateau -- it occurred to him that they would not remain there, but for the time that they were, they had contributed much to the pack and would continue to do so. with a smile, he listened to the silver man's mention of constantine -- the warrior trade would suit the more brawny of his sons well.

their words turned to eilidh -- his daughter and he were close, but she had kept close-lipped about her desires. lowering his muzzle unto the earth, taltos searched for the scent of the cache, giving a purling growl of pleasure as he located the mounded earth.

"she has not told me, but she spends much time with blue willow. perhaps she will follow in her mother's trade." uncovering the stash of seal meat and fish, lasher sniffed tentatively at the odd flesh but bit gingerly into the meal all the same. "interesting. salty." a low laugh broke from the druid.

"Perhaps. That would be wonderful, for Blue Willow to have some help." Injury seemed a common thing for them, especially of late, and he liked the idea of daughter helping mother to keep things running smoothly. A pack could never have too many with healing knowledge, for he had learned from experience that sometimes things changed and members parted ways. Blue was not a likely case for such a thing, but life happened.

"What is this?" he asked, staring at it a moment with surprise. He was not at all knowledgeable in coastal wildlife and the seal was foreign to him. "Interesting is a good word for it." In any event, it was food, and he was grateful to Casmir for thinking of them in stowing it away.

lasher was smitten with the idea also, but did not like to press the notion onto his daughter. she would choose her own way, as would her brothers. a chuckle came from the earthen servant as he watched his companion gaze confusedly at the meat, and he shook his head. "i do not know -- casmir did not tell me. he only said that i would enjoy it."

unbeknownst to the two, the flesh was that of a seal, and held a thick flavor of salt over a distinct gaminess. it was a strongly flavoured meal, and despite his son's assertion, the beta was not sure he liked it at all.

Dante dug in as well, his face probably somewhat comical as he tentatively tried the meat. It was... savory? Was that the right term? He wasn't sure. But it tasted like nothing he'd ever eaten before. The surprise didn't dampen his impression and he found that, unlike his companion, he rather enjoyed the salted taste. Perhaps not in large quantities though.

"Not bad," he said after a few moment's eating, raising his head to lick residue from his muzzle. "I'll have to ask Casmir what sort of creature this was." He was curious now to find out, especially if they did relocate. He still held the title gamekeeper and would need to know as many resources as possible in their possible strange new home.

"This is a pleasant enough spot, but not untouched," he said at length, gazing at the forest of impressive trees. Some had toppled, seemingly from the storm, for he could see the lean of a couple amongst those still standing.

"yes, please do," the beta agreed, swallowing the unhappy little bit of briny meat before pushing himself to a standing position and moving away from the cache. his gaze fell on the trees roundabout them as well. it was a lovely place, though not exempt from damage, as dante had pointed out.

lifting his muzzle into the air, the man drew in a breath, tasting it for the tell-tale fragrance of wolf-claimed borders. "i do not scent another pack," he concluded, casting an elated glance at his leader.

"shall we explore?" he invited, though his dark legs were already carrying him toward the deeper part of the wood, and excitement coursed through his body.

Dante noted the same as Lasher announced it, nodding in agreement and relaxing a bit with the revelation.  "It seems like we are alone."  He had never encountered Stavanger Bay, so had no knowledge that a pack used to reside so nearby.  But he hadn't expected to meet no resistance in this place either.  It was rare that they would find such luck.

"Let's."  He set off alongside his companion, staring at the trees as they approached from the meadow.  They had appeared large from a distance, but now, as they got close.... surely these were kings among their kind.  "Wow," he exclaimed softly, staring up into the boughs overhead with amazement.  He had never seen such a large forest. "What sorts of stories do you think these trees have seen?"  He asked Lasher, circling one of the ones on the edge, wondering at it's impressive girth.  They had to be ancient, to be so large.  It was the only explanation he could think of.

He could see now that the felled trees were more walls than minor annoyances, but this still did not deter him.  Such could only add to the safety and cover that the forest offered, and that it weathered such a storm with only minor damage spoke for it's fortitude.

they were both impressed by the magnitude of the trees -- lasher shook his head in awe. "too many to count, i am sure," he rejoined, quite affected by the lovely energy of the radiant land. with the sea to their fore and the thick woods to their back, along with the fallen boles to lend an obstacle to pursuing foes, lasher grew more and more enamoured of the wondrous land. "i believe that the thickness of the wood will provide shelter against driving storms -- i have heard of the clouds that can rise from the sea and thrash the land, as it seems once happened here."

the few bites of meat he had consumed had not sated his belly, but the druid was too focused upon the land to be concerned with the trifles of his body's demands. he moved forward, to take the scent and gaze about them, and his eyes alighted upon a natural cave cut into the side of a mossy embankment.

He nodded wordlessly, cutting left to examine deeper within the trees.  Such things he had never seen before and he too was taken with their grandeur. Despite more to each tree, the forest seemed more open - yet it still provided enough cover to offer a sense of security. He didn't feel stifled as he had sometimes within the Plateau's wooded regions. "I hope that doesn't happen often. I have never lived by the sea, so it's effect would be new to me." He knew other packs had done so successfully, though, and it made him more ready to try. Lasher had more at stake here, with a mate and children he loved readily.

"There would need to be fresh water," he said thoughtfully, seeing no stream within their immediate vicinity. "Shelter seems plentiful enough, but food and water?" Prey seemed alright, but only time would tell if that were true. They would need to scout more to determine ifrom it was sufficient.

he nodded -- he himself had not scented freshwater since their arrival. it was imperative that they focus their energies upon locating a source of unbrined liquid. turning inward, the man began to course toward the heart of the territory, step light and ears cupped for any noises. the light slowly dimmed as the pain traveled, barred by the thick entanglement of branches overhead.

green shafts of illumination touched the earth beneath their paws, thus unscathed by the cold palm of autumn. it would not be so forever, but lasher marveled at it all the same. their steps were carpeted with moss, the emerald silk climbing the boles of trees roundabout.

presently, the forest grew thinner in its intensity and they emerged into a field of low ferns, beginning to crisp beneath the frostiness of recent mornings. the beta's mouth curved in a smile -- the gentle whisper of running water across stone could be heard ahead, and he turned to dante with delight dancing in his eyes.

their velveteen met grew more sparse, but met water at its end, and lasher stood with sated gaze, his eyes upon the thin rivulet. his heart was jubilant -- parting his jaws, the druid let out a long, low howl.

donnelaith.

Dante strode quietly at Lasher's shoulder, vanguard in case of trouble and an extra set of eyes.  He fell naturally into following, and couldn't help but think how appropriate it was - Lasher fell naturally to the helm, even in exploration of this new home.  It pleased Dante to see this and only further satisfied his choice.

They passed through a sea of green on their trek to find water, and Dante reveled in the cool earth beneath his paws. It was almost ethereal, a forest so green, even with the advent of fall upon them. He thought of the nymphs of tales his old pack had spun and wondered if perhaps a few didn't reside in this very wood, watching them pass through. He hoped they weren't a jealous sort.

It was not long before their prize was before them - a flowing stream, clear and quick. He couldn't stop from grinning as Lasher called out a claim, elated for the man and eager to get on with this new chapter. He would request to meet soon after this, ready to put the plan in motion. He stood silent a moment, letting Lasher's howl sound true before joining a low tone with it. A promise to aid and serve, and that it wasn't by Lasher's strength alone this place would be claimed.